The Pirate, Ghost
by Ani-Mimi
Summary: A Secret. A Shadow. An Anomaly. That's what her crew-mates and Captain called her, but because of her skills and her journey, she was so much more. An Informant. A Ruler. A Protector. A Friend. Personally though, she liked to consider herself... A Ghost.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own the Anime/Manga One Piece or any of its characters. All OCs though are mine.

**The Pirate, Ghost**

**By: Ani-Mimi**

**Prologue**

As the inhabitants of Water 7 and the Marines watched the Thousand Sunny fly out of sight carrying the Straw Hat Pirates along with her, Kokoro and Iceberg stood together deep in contemplation, letting the horizon guide their thoughts into the possible future for those who had just left.

"Where are they headed?" Iceberg asked.

"Towards the Florian Triangle, Mermaid Island and the Archipelago."

"That's a hard and dangerous path, but if anyone could do it, they can."

Kokoro nodded, "Aye, and at the very least they'll be able to rest there; at her place, under her protection."

"'Her' Granny?" Chiminy asked looking up, awe painted across her face.

"That's right, 'Her', the Pirate Ghost," Kokoro answered before taking a swig of sake and laughing knowingly.

**(Sometime later… Elsewhere in Grand Line…)**

The sky split as two beings of immense strength and power clashed. It wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last, but this particular argument had been going on for days with no apparent end in sight. What was the argument you ask? The argument completely centered on a particular set of orders that had been given to one of the individual's subordinates. However, before they could come to blows once more, a harsh wind blew, its intensity nearly matching that which split the sky not moments before, and swept among those standing on the decks of the two ships before settling just behind the red haired pirate in the form of a young woman.

"Captain, cease this fighting, it is pointless and completely unnecessary now."

Her sudden arrival and manor of address, in which she seemed to completely ignore the elder of the two before her, bothered many belonging to the Pirate Whitebeard's crew, putting them instantly on the defensive, while her words commanded the attention of Whitebeard himself and the one she had identified as her Captain.

"Explain," Shanks said, lowering his sword and turning to face her.

"No less than 48 hours ago, one pirate, Portugas D. "Fire Fist" Ace, was handed over to the World Government Head Quarters by individuals belonging to the pirate Blackbeard's crew. His delivery was payment for Blackbeard's promotion into the Shichibukai as Crocodile's replacement."

All those within hearing distance, all those who called Ace "Comrade" and "Friend", were struck with horror and surprise at the mere thought of such a thing happening to him. Though, if it were true, would give them one more reason to dislike and wish for the death of Marshall D. Teach. Shanks himself shook in anger for a moment, before withdrawing into silent contemplation.

"How hard would it be for you to get into there?" Shanks asked the woman, looking up from his thoughts.

"I'm not sure Captain. Impel Downs is the most heavily guarded stronghold in the world and I have yet to attempt anything with that level of security, but I can certainly try," she answered, frowning in frustration while her mind had already begun planning.

"Then do what you can. Find out everything regarding the situation and report to me regularly."

"Yes Sir."

The immediate members of Whitebeard's crew watched the entire exchange with growing anger and annoyance. Those two were completely ignoring their Captain and the fact that Ace was a part of their crew, not the Red-Haired Pirates. Finally one of them had had enough…

"Hey! Just who do you think you are? You come here as if you belong; ignore our Captain; speak in his presence as an equal; and finally bring us lies regarding our Commander! Give you superiors the respect they deserve and bring us proof about what you speak. If you can't then scram or face the consequences!" yelled one of the younger and more hotheaded of Whitebeard's crew.

Throughout his tirade, the woman had listened with only half an ear, instead she focused the majority of her attention on Whitebeard, who had locked eyes with her as soon as the guy had started. When he had finished, and since she had not received whatever possible response she had been waiting for from the Yonkou Captain, she began to stalk towards the man, as a predator stalks their prey.

With every step she took, bringing her ever closer the pirate that was now beginning to regret his decision to confront the woman, a wind picked up and surrounded her, ever increasing in its intensity; such that those standing nearby could feel the power and strength contained in that wind. Granted it wasn't anywhere near the level of the two Captains present, but it was enough to cause those who had fainted earlier, due to Shanks' Spiritual Presence, to suffer from serious migraines, a fact that brought looks of surprise to a select few of those present.

As she moved to take the last step that would bring her face to face with the pirate that had dared to question her, and that was now shaking in his boots in fear…

"GHOST!"

And she was instantly back where she had started, looking for the world like she had never even moved.

"Sorry Captain."

Shanks nodded, accepting her apology, before shooting the woman, now identified as Ghost, a name that had caused a surprised stir of recognition among the more uninformed pirates present, a look that clearly said 'Get going'. At which point she disappeared entirely, as quickly and as silently as she had appeared.

Both Whitebeard and Shanks watched a seemingly innocent breeze blow overhead before disappearing to the four winds. They stood facing off into the horizon for a moment in silence, and then Whitebeard turned and addressed the other…

"She's strong Brat, there's no doubt about that, but Ace was no pushover either. Are you sure she won't let her anger get the best of her and attempt to take him on by herself?"

"I'm sure; she's too smart to make a mistake such as that. Ghost would leave Blackbeard alone, I can't say the same for his crew though," Shanks answered with a knowing smile.

Whitebeard accepted his answer with a nod before speaking again, "As much as I hate to acknowledge it," he sighed, "I think she is stronger than either of us gives her credit for."

Shanks shrugged, "Whatever you say Old Man."


	2. Meeting Her

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the One Piece Manga or Anime. OCs though are mine.

* * *

**The Pirate, Ghost**

**By: Ani-Mimi**

**Chapter 1: Meeting "Her"**

On the island of Banaro, its inhabitants had begun the long and painful process of rebuilding. Unfortunately, the amount of progress that had been achieved in the three days since "The Incident" was nil. Moreover, how could they? Their towns were nothing more than piles of firewood, and the entire geography of the island had been rearranged due to the strength of the two pirates who had fought there. Nevertheless, the men and women, old and young, worked together to clear the rubble and start anew as best they could.

Mid afternoon, a group of village children came running into town yelling to their parents and the elders…

"It's a Lady! A pretty Lady! She's gorgeous!"

"What? Who is it?" many asked as fear flowed into their veins at the memory of recent events.

"It's a pretty Lady, and she's really nice. See, she gave me a flower," one of the young girls answered, while showing off said flower.

"Where is she young one?"

"She's over there Granny."

Sure enough, following the direction of the child's finger, pointed towards the edge of the carnage, stood a young woman looking over the area with trepidation and surprise. When she came close enough, she looked towards the gathered villagers and asked…

"What happened here? How did this island come to look like this?" her voice full of nervousness and incredulity.

"A fight between pirates, between Devil Fruit users; now what is a young woman such as yourself doing here?" One of the men replied before asking a question of his own.

"I… I'm looking for someone. He's about so tall," raising her hand to indicate a height, "black hair, and a tattoo covering his back, shoulder to shoulder."

An older woman, one of the elders, standing towards the back of the group, looked the woman over with a critical eye before directing a companion elsewhere. After which, she herself then moved forward, addressing the stranger…

"How would we know about this tattoo?"

The stranger chuckled mirthfully in remembrance, "Because he displays it with pride; absolutely refusing to wear a shirt of any kind."

"I see. Then I'm very sorry my dear, but the one you are looking for was in the fight that caused all this to happen. He was severely hurt and taken away by his opponent," by this time, the woman's companion returned carrying an orange hat, which she immediately handed over to the stranger.

She took it, starring at it with wide eyes, as if the hat would burn her. Looking up at the elder and villagers, she opened her mouth to ask further, but was never given the opportunity to finish, for the elder replied before a single sound had been uttered.

"I am an old woman, who knows what she is looking at when she sees it. I'm only sorry that things couldn't have been different for you."

The woman nodded, before slowly dropping to her knees as tears trailed down her cheeks; one hand fisted the rim of the hat, while the other buried itself into the ground. As she sat there, the very ground began to tremble and was quickly echoed in her own body, both of which steadily increased in intensity, frightening those around her. The tremors soon stopped just as suddenly as they began as the woman stood, wiping the tears from her face, though her eyes still retained their glassy shine. With that done, she looked at the hat in her hand one last time and then placed it over her own head, to hang down her back. Composure completely back in place she addressed the villagers.

"I'm sorry that your island got stuck in the middle of our problems and had to suffer. I can't do much for your village and houses, but I can do something about all the craters."

So saying the woman kneeled once more and placed both hands on the ground, sending a shockwave throughout the entire island. The villagers then watched in awe as the craters that dotted the landscape disappeared in moments, leaving them breathless.

"That should be enough to make it easier for you to rebuild. In addition, until the last nail has been hammered into place, your shores will supply a steady stream of fish. As further thanks for the help you have given me, I am placing your island under my jurisdiction so that something like this does not happen again. Should you need anything, call and I will respond," she said once done, before turning to leave.

"Wait! Who are you young one?"

The woman smiled over her shoulder, long hair and hat blowing in the wind that had suddenly picked up, revealing a very distinguishing tattoo on her right shoulder blade, one that many of them recognized, "I'm Ghost, nice to have met you."

Then, as a cloud of dust blew up and obstructed their view, she was gone.

* * *

**(Less than an hour later…)**

A violent and unnatural wind swept over the deck of the Moby Dick, leaving Ghost kneeling before Whitebeard, though her wind did not dissipate, demonstrating the true extent of her ire.

No preamble or petty footing, nor any preliminary posturing, it was simply right to the point between the two of them. There wasn't even an argument regarding her sudden appearance and disrespect, just one word; "Report."

Keeping her head bowed, Ghost began…

"Blackbeard has eaten the Yami Yami no mi, a Logia type Devil Fruit that allows him to cancel out any and every attack thrown at him. His body still sustains damage, but that is of little consequence as his ability acts like a magnetic pull, able to draw anything towards him."

"That should not have hampered Ace in the slightest, what kept him from winning?!"

"The Yami Yami no mi has one other serious advantage, making Blackbeard a dangerous man for any individual to fight, especially Devil Fruit users. It cancels out, or neutralizes the Devil Fruit abilities of any one, and anything he touches, making it as if his opponent were wearing seastone cuffs or submerged in water."

"WHAT!!!"

"Fire Fist Ace had his ability canceled out and was drawn into Teach's Black Hole of Darkness. This is how and why he lost. Even now his health is deteriorating as we speak."

Whitebeard frowned and brought his hand to his chin, thinking, "Where is he now?"

"Still in the lowest level of Impel Downs."

"Very well. Report to your Captain Gaki, and keep me updated as well," it was then that he noticed the hat she wore and commented on it, "It is fitting that you wear that until it can be returned to him."

She smiled sadly, saying "Thank you Sir," as she disappeared.

* * *

Deep within the archive offices of the Marine Outpost at Shabondy, Ghost was digging through pile after pile of records, not even bothering to keep things clean. Of course, the information that she was after had already been looked over and replaced, leaving no indication that it had even been touched. She had done the same thing to the last three rooms she had been through, hiding her real objectives, while making a mess of everything else.

Now though, she was on her knees and digging into one of the hidden alcoves that was buried behind the bottom shelf of a bookcase. With her ears open for the sound of any unwanted footstep near her location, it came as little surprise that she could hear nearly everything else…

"Is that you Sanji!?! It's absolutely terrible!!! WAAHHH! Caime's been kidnapped!!!"

'_Hm, so another person got themselves kidnapped. Must have let their guard down, oh well…,'_

"You horrible people!! Hacchan's going to come and beat you all up, you hear me?!! Let me go!! Oww!"

'_What? Hacchan?!'_

**BONK!!**

'_Oww…'_

The surprise of hearing a familiar name, one she hadn't heard for several years, caused Ghost to jump and hit her head on the shelf that she had been reaching under. After pulling herself off the floor, and placing a hand to her, now, sore head, she looked out the window towards the Archipelago…

'_What did Hacchan get himself into this time?' _Taking a quick look at the door, _'I hope no one heard that,' _referring to the noise she had made when she banged her head.

Ghost cocked her head and listened to the sounds and voices that drifted to her ears, telling her more about the situation.

'_Sounds like damage control time,' _she looked over the office, _'I was about done here anyway. Better go and see what I can do.'_

Quickly selecting a few choice documents, she pulled out a slim throwing knife, which she then used to pin the documents to the main desk, before leaving out the window.

A hop, skip, and a breath later, had Ghost landing on the outer edges of Grove 1, and slowly making her way to the Slave Auction House. Slipping through the crowds that had come for the auction, she blew into the back rooms to find the rest of her answers. She found them in the form of a giant fish tank.

"So you're the one who's the cause of all the commotion," she said, halfway addressing the mermaid inside the tank.

"Who… who are you?" Caime asked nervously. The woman looked familiar to her, but she wasn't sure why.

"Who? Me?" Ghost smiled mischievously, "Why I am merely a potential buyer. I just came back to preview the goods."

Caime quickly fled to the farthest reaches of the tank, in fear of the woman before her.

"Oi! Gaki! Didn't your mother ever teach you not to tell jokes?"

Ghost turned to the Old Man that had yelled at her and broke out laughing.

"Well…, I never thought I'd see the day in which I found Silvers Rayleigh, in a place like this. What happened? Run out of money? Oh, and by the way, no she didn't. Instead you were left with that job Oyajii, and since you didn't teach me, I guess I never learned," she answered his taunt with a smile, laughing under her breath.

With a backward wave of her hand, she walked towards the door and out into the auction arena, "I'll leave you to take care of yourself Oyajii. I'm going to go watch the fireworks."

"Gaki," he growled out, watching her back disappear through the door,

"Who was that," the giant next to him asked.

"My Godchild, and at one point my student. Now she's just an annoying gaki that speaks her mind and gets into trouble far too often."

"Ah…," as if that was really much of an answer…

* * *

The auction had already begun when the main doors were suddenly thrown open. The security personnel rushed forward to deal with the perpetrators, however as soon as they saw who it was they backed away quickly, and murmuring respectful apologies. Even the auctioneer, Disco, ran up the main aisle to greet her.

This amount of posturing captured the curiosity of pirate captains Trafalgar Law and Eustass Captain Kid. The sight that met their eyes when they turned to see what all the fuss was about left them, as men, completely speechless. It was a young woman, whose quality of attire easily matched that of the Tenryuubito, though it was obvious that she was not one. Her beautiful blue hair was down and hung from her head to her waist, while her deep black eyes could easily charm an Admiral.

Obviously, the Auction House's employees treated her with a great deal of respect. "Your Ladyship, we are truly honored that you would grace us with your presence. Please, let me direct you to the best seat we can offer."

"Thank you for your offer Disco, but I prefer to find my own seat today," she answered, subtly shooing Disco aside.

Moving further into the room, the woman gave a barely perceived nod to Captain Kid before approaching Trafalgar Law.

"Might I trouble you to pass, that I may take a seat further in?" she asked him.

Despite his general lack of manners, and the excessive rudeness that was a part of his personality, and overall charisma that labeled him a pirate, Trafalgar said nothing, but quickly moved to accommodate the young woman's request, which was rewarded with a whispered 'Thank you'.

Her Ladyship's arrival preceded that of the Straw Hat Pirates by only a few minutes, at which point the auction continued.

"**This man's name is Lacueva! A fearsome pirate famed as a devious tactician!! He holds a bounty of 17,000,000 Beli!! And just take a look at his wonderfully honed body!!" **Disco went on a few moments more about the pirate's possible uses. That was until it became apparent that Lacueva had taken matters into his own hands to keep himself from being sold.

"Ahh! What's wrong with that guy?!"

"Ahh! He's collapsed!"

"Someone lower the curtain for a moment!!"

Once the stage had been cleared, the principle attraction was brought forward.

"**Ladies and Gentleman!! The product I am about to reveal to you all… should be enough to completely blast all thoughts of minor issues right out of your minds!!"**

Ahh's and speculative murmurs swept among the audience…

"**Without further ado, I think I'll let the goods do the talking!"**

The curtains opened…

"**Direct from Fishman Island!!! It's the 'Mermaid' Caime!!"**

The auditorium erupted, there wasn't a single corner that was silent; however, despite the hubbub, the pirates sitting near the mysterious lady would almost swear they heard her growling. They were prevented from considering it any further as a single voice rose above all others…

"I bid five hundred million...! Five hundred million Beli!" The Tenryuubito Chalros-sei, called out proudly and selfishly.

"…**It …It looks like the entire auction was struck speechless for a moment there… but you heard the man!! Five hundred million!! Any higher offers?! If not, we'll be ending the bidding on the mermaid here!!"**

Disco just barely noticed the raised hand that signaled an additional bid, but considering the individual it came from he knew not to announce it, and went on as if he had not seen anything. This was a good thing for him, because chaos had taken up residence in the Auction House, with no end in sight. In fact, it only got worse as Zoro and Luffy crashed through the wall. At which point shouts and cries of fishman reverberated across the room, before it was all silenced by a gunshot and Hacchan fell to the floor.

Simultaneously, Trafalgar Law felt two breezes blow by him from opposite directions, followed immediately by a subdued groan of pain coming from his left. For the second time in an hour, something grabbed his attention away from the woman sitting near him. Curious… Ah, what the heck, he'll worry about it later… Straw-hat Luffy had just punched the lights out of that pompous jerk and no matter how taboo it was he wasn't going to miss a minute of the excitement. After the collective gasps, you could hear a pin drop.

"Sorry you guys… I hear if you hit one of these guys… A marine admiral's gonna show up with battleships in tow,'' Luffy said addressing his crew.

"Why'd you have to go and punch him…? I wanted to slice him up myself," Zoro replied seriously.

The others all echoed his sentiment.

Pandemonium once again reared her ugly head as the Straw-hat Pirates took on the soldiers and guards that attacked them. As the buyers vacated the building, things only got worse, even as Brook, Robin, and Usopp finally made an appearance.

"Luffy – Where's Caime?!"

"Over there!! We're getting out of here as soon as we can get that bomb thing off her neck! There are battleships and an Admiral on the way!" Luffy answered Usopp.

"What!!"

"Oh, the marines are already here, Mr. Straw-hat."

Luffy turned towards the man who had spoken and saw a young pirate, not much older than himself, sitting in a row all by himself.

"Who the heck are you… and what's with that bear?" Luffy asked.

Trafalgar Law ignored him and continued, "If it's the marines you're worried about, they've been here since the auction started," glancing towards the door he went on, "They're surrounding the entire auction house."

"What?! Seriously?!"

"Yeah. After all, Marine HQ do have a post right here on this Archipelago."

"I don't know who it is they're after, but I doubt they expected anybody to start attacking the Tenryuubito."

Robin finally spoke up, having recognized him, "You're Trafalgar Law…!! Luffy, that man is a pirate…"

"Really...? The bear too…?"

Suddenly a commotion started up down by the stage as the auctioneer, Disco, begged, and pleaded a cease action from a Tenryuubito family member, "P… Please, I beg you just wait a moment, Shalulia-guu… Proper payment has yet to be made…"

"Oh, be quiet, Peasant!!! I am going to kill this mermaid they want so much!!"

"Caime-chan!!" every one of the Straw-hat Pirates called out.

However, even as they called out and prepared themselves to protect her, two things happened. One, a spiritual pressure built up quickly, causing many, including the Tenryuubito threatening Caime, to pass out, and two; only a handful of people noticed as Disco was swept away into the backrooms.

"Your Ladyship?!"

"Save it Disco."

His mouth closed quickly after that. In all the years he had had dealings with her, he had never seen Her Ladyship this mad. After having to deal with testy and powerful individuals in his line of business, Disco knew not to push her buttons by any means. He came back to the present to the sound of clinking coins…

"Here is the payment you complained so heavily about. Now, I am only going to tell you this once. This business, and the Bird, are done. I don't want to see either of you anywhere near the Archipelago again," without even waiting for a reply, she swept back into the main hall, Disco's whispered 'Yes Milady' heard only by the wind.

Picking up the bag of coins that had been dropped at his feet, Disco slowly made his way to the office where he immediately picked up the Den Den Mushi and called his boss…

"…Surely this is no laughing matter…?! Mr. Do Flamingo… Where exactly are you right now? This shop's reputation is going to be ruined! We have Rosward's family to worry about, and 'She' has banned us from the groves, threatening us with bodily harm if we even set foot here again!"

This fact gave Do Flamingo pause, for even though he was numbered among the Shichibukai, and even though he cared very little for the loss of the business, the rumors that he had heard surrounding 'Her' were enough that any pirate, other than those four, would be apprehensive about facing her. These thoughts did not last long though, because they had quickly turned to future, and more enticing, happenings…

"Disco, how does this sound for a future, the Whitebeard Pirates vs. The Shichibukai?" he asked gleefully.

* * *

**(Meanwhile…)**

After all the explosions and fights, the beatings, the adrenaline rush, and finally…, the escape, Silvers Rayleigh found himself running along with the Straw-Hat Pirates in a panic induced frenzy towards his house all the while mentally berating himself for trying to joke and kid with them as to the status of their recently rescued friend. Needless to say, they had not taken it well and were now displaying their stubborn tenacity and loyalty to 'nakama' by barreling headlong into an unknown situation. If it were not for the fact that he knew there was no danger, he probably would have questioned how easily he was going along with them rather than trying to stop them. As it was, he found it to be highly humorous and couldn't wait to see the faces of all involved… once it was over.

That opinion quickly changed, however, when their surroundings turned to chaos. The ground trembled with such intensity that all lost their footing, waves crashed over the roots of the grove trees, and miniature tornadoes sprung up all around them, buffeting them left and right, leaving bruises in their wake. Above it all, Silvers felt a singular spiritual pressure release itself over the whole Archipelago such that he did not doubt that many inhabitants had fainted due to its strength.

'_What in the world?! What in the four blues made her that mad?'_

Once the ground under their feet had stabilized, the pirates took off once again however, some were now moving faster than before as they felt Silvers' anxiousness and worry. That was all pushed aside though as they approached destination.

Even though they felt the tremors and spiritual pressure, and saw the waves and tornadoes, the Straw-Hat Pirates still sped forward with the same single-mindedness that characterized their career to date. As such, none of them were really thinking when they burst through the door and attacked the only person in sight. What took place next, many would later swear, happened in the blink of an eye, too fast to stop, yet slow enough to see every movement.

Sanji began the offensive by throwing one of his flaming kicks at the girl's back however… it never connected. In one fluid movement, she dodged the kick, grabbed the still extended leg, and rolled over it while simultaneously landing two solid kicks of her own to Sanji's jaw, before completing the roll and turning it into a takedown and pin. Even as she finished with Sanji, she was preparing to deal with Zoro, who had followed directly behind the cook, by pulling out a kodachi, parrying all three swords with the single blade.

In a surprising show of strength, surprising because all the Straw-Hats were aware of just how strong Zoro was, the girl forced Zoro away from her and somehow pinned him against the nearest wall. The real jaw dropper though came when she caught Luffy's fist and used that same grip to throw him into the wall and loop his arm around Nami's Clima-Tact.

Everything went still, not a word said, not a muscle moved. After a few seconds, Chopper and Franky inched forward hoping to do something, but that was nipped in the bud when the girl spoke…

"One more step and I'll snap his leg in half."

Her threat drew all attention to where she had Sanji pinned; face down, on the floor. Closer examination of the pin showed that her leg, and in fact her whole body, was bent and curved around Sanji's completely straight leg. All she would have to do is straighten her leg and indeed Sanji's leg would snap. The strained groans of pain issuing from the cook enforced this fact.

Before the situation could become any worse, Silvers Rayleigh strode forward purposefully from where he had been leaning against the doorframe and whapped the girl across the back of her head with enough force that she lost both her grip on Luffy's arm and her stance for maintaining the pin and stumbled forward to crash against the counter.

"Blast it Gaki! What put you in such a foul mood?!"

"None of your business Oyajii! I can throw a fit if I want to!"

"Not if it threatens the condition of my house you can't!"

"Then blame them! They attacked first!" accusatory finger pointed in the pirates' direction.

"You didn't have to rise to the occasion!"

Back and forth, back and forth, the Straw-Hats watched in confused awe, gathering themselves, as Silvers and the girl stood toe-to-toe yelling and pointing fingers at each other and the pirates. This continued for about 15 minutes, at which point Shakky made an appearance. Taking one look around the room, evaluating the situation, she quickly made her way over to the principle actors and soundly knocked their heads together, stopping them both mid rant.

"Is that anyway for you two to be behaving with a girl upstairs sleeping and guests standing in my bar? No! I don't want to hear your excuses," halting them as they moved to speak, "You," pointing to the girl, "I understand you're mad but that is no reason to take that out on others, especially those who can't handle your strength, you know better. And you," rounding on Silvers, "You know how volatile she is so don't go antagonizing her, you're making it worse!"

Both looked at Shakky like properly chastised children, "Yes ma'am, but… he/she started it!" they apologized while simultaneously declaring the other at fault. Shaky just shook her head and gave them 'the look', before heading into the kitchen while asking for requests, hearing none she shrugged her shoulders and continued.

With the fight obviously over, Silvers leaned against the counter, crossing his ankles, while the girl made her way back to the table, which had surprisingly remained in place, and sat down in the same spot she'd been in before the Straw-Hats had burst through the door. There she began a steady staccato of banging her head against the wood. The Straw-Hats themselves, meanwhile, had watched the whole proceedings with confusion and no small amount of trepidation and were now slowly starting to relax at seeing how Silvers and Shakky behaved towards the girl. Since they no longer felt any focus or attention on them, they began trying to help Zoro from where he was still pinned to the wall. This proved to be easier said than done as Nami and Chopper cried out in surprise when they lost their grip on whatever it was that held the swordsman in place. Their cries caught the girl's attention causing her to look over in their direction.

Releasing a heavy sigh, she stood up and moved towards them, which put them all on the defensive as they tensed up and huddled together, weapons and stances ready for anything.

"Oi! No need for that, I'm just going to help, not attack."

Silvers snorted, "What do you expect Gaki? You took out their three strongest fighters in under a minute; of course they're going to get defensive."

She sighed once again, and then strode forward, intent on her original purpose. The Straw-Hats were still wary, but when she gently moved them out of her way, they finally relaxed completely.

"Ojou-san, I'm not sure you'll be able to get those. If I and Luffy can't, let alone, this baka-yarou, there's no way you could," Sanji said, even as hearts thudded in his eyes.

The woman gave him her own version of 'the look' before turning back to her self-appointed task.

"First of all, I put them there so I should, most certainly be able to pull them out. Secondly, I am much stronger then my appearance would dictate, another reason why I should be able to pull them out," that being said, she grabbed a hold of the handles and systematically pulled, what they could now identify as knives, out of the wall. That done, she left the room only to return with a couch slung over her shoulder that she set down against the wall that Zoro had just vacated.

Before anyone could protest or comment, she transferred the still unconscious Hacchan from where he'd been deposited on the floor, to the couch, and then returned to her place at the table. Silence then settled over the room, but before that silence could become uncomfortable, Shakky returned from the kitchen bearing food and drinks, which were quickly pounced upon by all concerned. Once everyone had settled into eating, Robin asked the question that had been on all the Straw-Hats' minds, "Who are you?"

"Oh, didn't I introduce myself? My mistake, I'm—-"

"Mizuki!"

* * *

Anime Referenced - Episodes 325, and 394-397

Manga Referenced - Chapters 440, 441, 434, and 499-503


	3. Realms of Authority

Disclaimer: I do not own, in any way or form, the characters and plot of One Piece Anime/Manga. OC's though are mine.

* * *

**The Pirate, Ghost**

**By: Ani-Mimi**

**Chapter 2: Realms of Authority**

Last time:

_Before anyone could protest or comment, she transferred the still unconscious Hacchin from where he'd been deposited on the floor, to the couch, and then returned to her place at the table. Silence then settled over the room, but before that silence could become uncomfortable, Shakky returned from the kitchen bearing food and drinks, which were quickly pounced upon by all concerned. Once everyone had settled into eating, Robin asked the question that had been on all the Straw-Hats' minds, "Who are you?"_

"_Oh, didn't I introduce myself? My mistake, I'm—"_

"_Mizuki!"_

Now:

The shout caused all the Straw-hats to look over at the couch where Hatchi had been laying down, now however, he was up and staring wide eyed at the girl he had just identified. This changed in a matter of seconds as he was instantly at her side hugging the living daylights out of her. This hug of his was only made more potent as he was using all six of his arms.

"Oh, Mizuki, it really is you! I missed you so much!"

"Hatchi…," she gasped, "Air…"

"Sorry," quickly letting her go so she could breathe, "I'm just so excited to see you, it has been over ten years since I last saw you," Hatchi said by way of apology.

From there, the two entered the world of reminiscing, catching up on each other's lives, however Hatchi soon stopped himself midsentence with a new cry of surprise, "Mi! You're bleeding!"

She looked down, "Hm, so I am."

Sure enough, her entire right shoulder was a blossoming red flower that was quickly encompassing the majority of her shirt. At this sight, Chopper immediately fell into 'Doctor Mode', calling out a request for materials from Shakky while herding and positioning Mizuki where he needed her.

All the commotion must have been loud enough to wake the other two guests because both Caime and Pappag were soon seen entering the room. Upon catching sight of Mizuki, sitting calmly at the table talking to the Straw-hats while Chopper dug a bullet out of her shoulder and bandaging it, they halted completely.

"Milady!" they both cried, seeing the extent of the damage and rushing over to her side. However neither were able to say anything more as both Nami and Sanji echoed their previous cry, though in surprise and confusion as opposed to worry.

Caime and Pappag gave the two their own confused look before nodding positively.

"You two mean to say that she is…"

Nod again.

"What's going on?" Frankie and the others asked.

Sanji and Nami quickly filled them in regarding the earlier happenings at the Auction House, before everything went through the roof.

"That explains who you are, to a certain degree, and why they were with you, but that doesn't answer why they called you that, or how you got hurt," said Zoro addressing Mizuki.

She looked at the pirates before her for a moment, lingering on Luffy a few seconds longer than the others, then turned and addressed Hatchi, "why don't you head upstairs and take a shower Hacchin, wash all that dried blood off of you."

Everyone suddenly remembered that Hatchi had been shot earlier, however, as Chopper looked him over, not a single scratch was found. Amongst the ruckus made discovering that fact, Mizuki disappeared. When the pirates inquired about it, Shakky sighed and shook her head.

"That girl…"

"I agree," Silvers said, sighing with her.

"What did she do Ray?" Hatchi asked.

"First off, though I didn't see it, I suspect she took that bullet for you. That's her blood you're covered in, not yours…"

"How!" Nami interrupted him, "How could she have done that? Most of us were there and saw it and we didn't see her move at all."

"She could, because she's just that strong. Mizuki is a prime example of the strength that you will encounter from here on out. Secondly," continuing from when he'd been interrupted, "I believe she went to clean up the mess you guys left behind at the Auction House."

"Huh…" The room deadpanned, not completely understanding.

"Lady Mizuki is the highest level of authority here on the Archipelago," Caime spoke up, "If anyone could straighten things out with the Marines and the Tenryuubito, she can."

The Straw-hats were rather dubious on that fact, but shrugged their shoulders and moved on to other topics; namely those of getting their ship coated and the Pirate 'Dark King' Silvers Rayleigh.

* * *

(Meanwhile... ...)

"Sir… The Sword-smith is here to see you."

"Thank you. Send her in."

The Captain set down his pen and signaled to his office aid to have some tea brought in before turning his full attention on the door in anticipation of his guest. It had been some time since She had last initiated a meeting, the two of them, meaning the Marines and Her, having come to something of an understanding back when she first came to power, which effectively minimized the necessity of their interaction.

In his opinion, something was seriously wrong with the top brass for them to let a girl like Her to strong arm them into obeying her commands, and while the World Government wasn't anymore thrilled then he was…, the people listened to her. They listened to her to such a degree that there were a few occurrences over the years where they had completely disregarded the Marines in favor of her judgment. So rather than dealing with a revolt, they just went with it. To the Captain, the only redeeming aspect of the entire arrangement was that the Sword-smith wasn't a pirate, not like those blasted, government approved, Shichibukai…

The Marine Captain was broken out of his thoughts by the arrival of his guest.

"Ah! Mizuki, what a pleasure it is to see you. Please have a seat. Can I get you some tea or coffee?"

"Can it with the fake pleasantries. We both know you hate having to deal with me just as much as I hate dealing with you, so I'll spare us both the stomachache by getting straight to the point. I am banning all further instances of slavery in the Archipelago. I will do nothing for those currently classified as slaves, but there will be no others. As such, all Auction Houses, Human Pet Stores, and slaver gangs will be shut down and banned from my groves. Despite the cuts you got from the sales, and don't bother denying, because I know you do," she insisted as he was about to do just that, "I fully expect your cooperation in keeping them out and enforcing the slavery ban. _Do I make myself clear_?" she finished pointedly.

"Most emphatically Mizuki," he replied, making note of her policy change. A real bummer though, he was counting on the next grease payment in order to buy a new luxury ship, hoping to improve his chances of scoring a hot date or two.

"Was there anything else you needed?"

"There is. I would like you to recall any and all marines that have been dispatched to deal with the events that took place not two hours ago at the Auction House in Grove 1. I will deal with the situation myself."

"I'm afraid that is not possible. Admiral Kizaru and a number of Pacifistas have gone to deal with the pirates responsible. Besides, I understand there were at least three Supernova Pirate Captains involved, way beyond your experience and level of expertise. You just deal with the little dispute issues; we'll handle the real problems."

"I do not appreciate your insinuation Captain, however, seeing as this has gone over your head, I will deal with the original problem, and your gross addition to the mess, in my own way."

"Yo… You… Miss Mizuki you can't be inferring an intention to defy the Marines by possibly aiding pirates!"

"I most certainly am. Now, if you will excuse me," with that, Mizuki stood and headed towards the door.

"One moment Mizuki," dropping all pretence of formalities, "I warn you. If you act against us I guarantee you'll be arrested and whatever semblance of power you think you carry will be taken away from you."

She stopped; hand on the door at his comment. _'Finally,' _he thought in satisfaction, _'She can be controlled,' _and he breathed an audible sigh of relief.

His relief was short lived however…

"_Baka_, if you are going to threaten, first be sure you know exactly who it is you are threatening; second, have the power to carry out your threats. Otherwise, they are nothing more than an empty bluff, easily called. Good day."

Her rebuttal was spoken with the same strength and tone that only those with the highest level of authority, and bearing veteran status, in the marines carried, and it froze the very breath in his lungs and paralyzed his movements long enough to allow Mizuki to finish leaving the room.

The click of the door closing echoed through the deathly silent office for a good ten minutes before the Captain could think again, and when he did, the necessity of arresting _that_ woman stood at the forefront, along with the need to prove her words wrong. He would not allow her to even leave the compound.

"Sergeant! Sergeant!"

"Yes Sir?"

"Stop her! Stop that woman; don't let her leave the compound."

"Who Sir?"

"The woman that was just in here, the Sword-smith of course!"

"But Sir, she hasn't left."

"What are you talking about? She went out that door not ten minutes ago!"

"That's impossible Sir. I've been at the desk ever since she arrived and neither she nor anyone else has gone in or out since."

The Captain dropped into his chair in a daze, flabbergasted, starring at his secretary. He trusted the man, there was no doubt about that, so if what he said was true…, where in the world had that woman gone…

* * *

(In some unknown or random location…)

"Bartholomew Kuma," a voice purred in his ear.

Turning his head, the Shichibukai saw Mizuki, the Sword-smith, practically sitting on his shoulder, mischievous smile splitting her face. He cocked his head, indicating she had his attention.

"I understand you've taken a bit of a liking to one, particular, rookie pirate crew," the way she said it indicated both a question and a statement. As such, he gave a barely perceivable nod in answer that was more felt then seen, and as such was easily understood due to her position.

"I wonder, then, if you would do me a favor?" and her smile grew.

Recognizing the look in her eyes, Bartholomew Kuma offered her one of his own incredibly rare smiles that fully echoed the sentiment contained in her own.

* * *

Luffy could only watch in muted anger and frustration as the real Shichibukai Kuma appeared and systematically overwhelmed and eliminated each and every one of his crewmembers before approaching him.

"I… I couldn't save them," he whispered brokenly to himself as Kuma's hand landed on his shoulder. Just before the groves of the Archipelago were lost to his senses, he saw Mizuki watching from among the bushes.

Luffy wasn't the only one who saw her, Silvers had as well. She stood there watching a few minutes longer before leaving the scene. When Ray finished his fight with Kizaru he looked for any sign of her, finding none, he returned to Shakky's; promises to pound just what that girl was up to out of her, dancing on his lips.

* * *

Back at the auction House in Grove 1, Shalulia Rosewald, Tenryuubito, paced back and forth, screaming her head off.

"Admiral Kizaru is pursuing them as we speak, so their capture is essentially inevitable! If you would just wait-!" A marine said, trying to pacify her…

"**Miserable Brainless Dogs!"**

However, she wasn't accepting it.

"Cease your infernal racket Shalulia. They have been taken care of."

All heads turned to see the Sword-smith striding forward to stand in front of the Tenryuubito. Shalulia stared at the woman before her.

"Have they been captured?"

"I said they have been taken care of. Does it really matter how as long as they have been?"

Shalulia's eyes became crazed, even more so than before…

"**Yes it matters! I want them captured! On top of them doing this to my father and brother, they even had the gall to release all of our slaves! Do they not have the slightest respect for the blood of this world's creator! I want them captured. I want them to crawl to me, begging forgiveness… I shall show them hell on earth!" **she growled out.

Immediately after she finished, Mizuki drew back her arm and backhanded the woman across the face; the force of which had her stumbling back into the seats nearby, eyes wide and physically trembling in fear instead of the contained rage of but moments earlier.

The Marines then watched, wide eyed themselves, as the Sword-smith turned, face dark, and walked quickly and calmly from their presence. They numbered well over 200 strong, yet not one of them moved to attack her for striking a Tenryuubito. To do so, they felt, was to flirt with death itself...

* * *

Monkey D. Garp "The Fist" sighed heavily as he boarded ship, and entered his cabin. His discussion with Ace had gone exactly as he had anticipated, but then again, he wouldn't have expected any less from one such as him. Ace was a pirate and a young man fully capable of making his own decisions. With another sigh he sank into a chair and looked up at the woman standing across from him, who had not been there a moment before; another occurrence that he had been expecting, though much earlier, as opposed to the later that this was.

"I have to apologize for not being here sooner," she said sarcastically, knowing her lateness really wasn't an issue, "but," and here her voice turned serious, truthful, "I didn't think you would appreciate the possibility of losing both grandsons in the same week."

"Met Luffy then, have you? Quite reckless isn't he?"

"Perhaps, but no more so than the rest of his family."

Garp broke out a single, sharp, barking laugh that degraded into chuckles in response to her barb.

"However, he is also steadfast, persistent, loyal, and dedicated. Once he finds out about Ace you know he is going to want to be in the thick of it."

"I know, but that is going to be difficult if not impossible for him."

"Not necessarily…"

Garp's continued snickers froze in his throat and he lost all further sense of humor in the moment. She wasn't planning what he thought she was, was she?

"If he were to, say, have someone help him, it wouldn't be very hard for him at all, would it."

He looked at her with a bitter gleam in his eye.

"Going to play the 'Master Strategist' are you? Putting all your pieces in place," Garp goaded with a sneer.

"No. People are individuals and they all react differently in a situation. No matter how omniscient I seem, due to the amount of information I know, I am no more of an oracle than I am all-knowing. That is to say, I am neither. All I can do for Luffy and anyone else involved is get them there, what he does after that point and whether he survives or not are entirely up to him."

"You mean you'd throw Luffy into the fire? Trade his life for Ace's?"

"NO!" She yelled out in indignation. "Both Ace and my Captain, not to mention I myself, would skin me alive if I even considered doing such a thing to him. No. If I had the ability, Luffy wouldn't even be there. I'd traipse into that stronghold and break Ace out of there with no one the wiser. But I'm not that strong, and there is more going on than just Ace's execution, you know that," 'Sigh' "I didn't intend to have a conversation like this with you. I just came to let you know I was getting Luffy involved."

Garp looked long and hard at her, and she began to fidget, minutely, under his gaze. He couldn't understand her, she'd come and introduced herself to him roughly a year and a half ago, and since then she made a habit of stopping by to converse and keep him abreast of Ace's adventures. But that didn't mean he understood…

"Why?" The question was out before he realized it, but he let it stand; because as he thought more about it, he realized he did want it answered.

From the look on her face, she hadn't expected a question like that either, but she was gracious enough to answer it.

"Whether or not you believe it Garp, Ace respects you, despite he being a pirate and you a marine. His respect for you instilled some in me and it has only been strengthened by the stories and information I have heard and learned about regarding your actions and decisions in the past. So to answer your question, it is because we respect you, and to me…, that is reason enough."

Garp could only nod at her as she disappeared from the cabin. He shook his head, still confused over how she fit into everything, but still, he turned his attention to accounting for her involvement in the coming confrontation.

* * *

Manga Referenced Chapters 506, 514, and 523

Anime Referenced Episodes 400 and 417


End file.
